Rally for Aboriginal cultural centre

By Andrew Watson BRISBANE — On October 19, approximately 200 Aboriginal people and their supporters rallied in Musgrave Park to call for an Aboriginal cultural centre. The Aboriginal community has been lobbying the Brisbane City Council and the state government for more than 10 years for a lease. Aboriginal activist Sel Johnson told the rally that most people associated Musgrave Park with Murri people and culture, and that a centre was necessary for Aboriginal people's history, pride and dignity. The land in and around Musgrave Park has been a traditional meeting place for Aboriginal people, he said. The Murri community fears that the council may be trying to push them out of south Brisbane, including Musgrave Park. According to a former police officer, an informal police policy of "coon bashing" has been carried out in the area. Other speakers at the rally included Mervyn Riley from the Aboriginal Legal Service, Paddy Murdoch, Elizabeth Johnson Bond, Lionel Fogerty, Les Mulzer and Cheryl Buchanan. Alderman Tim Quinn and Labor MP for South Brisbane, Anna Bligh, who support the construction of the cultural centre, also spoke.